Two Years Before the Mast · Chapter
XXI explained
The narrator describes the social, legal, and moral conditions of California under Mexican rule, including the decline of the missions, the arbitrary nature of justice, the treatment of Indians, and the contrasting industriousness of Americ
What happens
The narrator describes the social, legal, and moral conditions of California under Mexican rule, including the decline of the missions, the arbitrary nature of justice, the treatment of Indians, and the contrasting industriousness of American and English settlers.
Themes in this chapter
Justice and Cruelty
The chapter contrasts the swift, harsh punishment of Indians with the impunity of Spanish murderers, highlighting the arbitrary and racially biased nature of justice in California.
Cultural Encounter and Otherness
The narrator provides a detailed ethnographic account of Californian society, including the roles of Indians, Spaniards, and foreign settlers, emphasizing cultural differences and moral judgments.
Class and Social Inequality
The treatment of Indians as virtual slaves, the power of the priests and administradores, and the disparity between the wealthy and the poor are central to the chapter.
Characters to notice
- Richard Henry Dana Jr.
The narrator observes and recounts the social and legal practices in California, including instances of murder and justice.
Key passages
“In their domestic relations, these people are no better than in their public. The men are thriftless, proud, and extravagant, and very much given to gaming; and the women have but little education, and a good deal of beauty, and their morality, of course, is none of the best; yet the instances of infidelity are much less frequent than one would at first suppose.”
The narrator criticizes both the public and private lives of Californians, describing men as lazy and women as immoral, though he notes that infidelity is rare due to extreme jealousy and deadly revenge.
This passage reflects the narrator's moral judgment of Californian society.
“In the hands of an enterprising people, what a country this might be! we are ready to say. Yet how long would a people remain so, in such a country?”
The narrator marvels at California's natural resources but questions whether industrious settlers could maintain their work ethic in such a favorable environment.
This rhetorical question underscores the theme of cultural encounter and the potential for transformation.